Evan’s Story: 29-Year-Old Burn Survivor Rises Above His Injuries

Evan Vickers had taken every precaution to prevent the unthinkable from happening.

Days before Christmas 2023, the 29-year-old professional baker was burning his grandmother’s old bills and paperwork – a pile too large to shred – on his family’s four-acre property in Columbia, Connecticut.

Safety was paramount for Evan. With a bucket of water and a hose at the ready, he lit the fire pit on the family’s lakeside property and went to work.

Just as he was about to burn the last bag of paper, Evan tossed a small limb into the fire pit, unaware that the wood inside had rotted out, leaving it hollow, and laden with sap.

“It acted like a chimney flue,” his mother Diana said, “and the log literally exploded on him.”

A neighbor heard the horrendous noise and witnessed Evan in the air, engulfed in flames and burning sap. Moments later, Evan’s instincts kicked in, and he ran into the lake to extinguish himself. After calling 911, his neighbor stayed with Evan until emergency crews arrived.

LIFE STAR flew Evan to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, the only dedicated burn center in the state, where he received the care of “the most brilliant team.”

Although third-degree burns covered seventy-five percent of his body, Evan’s eyes and his airway miraculously remained unscathed. Evan, it seemed, had kept his eyes closed and held his breath until he had extinguished the flames.

“The first few weeks were really touch-and-go,” Diana said. “On the third week, they took him off the ventilator. As he started coming to, his first words were, ‘Boom. Close your eyes. Shut your mouth. Run.’ I realized he was talking through what he did to protect himself in that moment.”

“When he got a little better, I asked, ‘Where did you learn the ‘close your eyes, shut your mouth and run’ thing from?’ And he just said, ‘I didn’t. I heard Dad’s voice telling me what to do.”

“My husband died ten years ago,” Diana reflected quietly, “but Evan heard his voice and followed it. And that saved his life. His dad was still looking out for him. It was definitely a God moment.”

Evan underwent 38 surgeries to graft skin from the 25 percent of his body that remained untouched onto his burns. The process was excruciating, and complications made the already challenging recovery process even more complex. First, it was the discovery of a large blood clot. Soon after, it was a severe and fast-growing infection caused by the very lake that had saved his life.

“His temperature spiked to 105.9 degrees, and he was tanking,” Diana said. “They brought him into surgery to arrest it in its tracks. Meanwhile, his doctors and pharmacologists were prepared to pull out all the stops to find out what kind of infection he had and create the exact solution to address it.”

“They came into his room and said we got it, we think this medicine will work. And it did. At three the next morning, Evan turned to me and said, ‘Do you have any Cheez-its?’ And as funny as it was, it was the most beautiful thing a mother could hear. I knew he was making a comeback.”

After 110 days in Bridgeport Hospital, Evan was able to begin the next phase of his recovery: intensive rehabilitation and continued wound care at Gaylord Hospital.

“I already knew about Gaylord, and I was confident it was the best place for Evan. The rehab is unparalleled. The green spaces, the open air … the nursing, the wound care team, and the therapy staff immediately became our family. It just felt right.”

Occupational therapist Marcia Annunziata recalled meeting Evan on his first day at Gaylord.

“He couldn’t walk or feed himself because his range of motion was so limited. I told him that his recovery will be what he puts into it. He took it to heart, and he’s been practicing his exercises after his therapy sessions. His drive propelled his progress and helped him accomplish so much so quickly,” she said.

Before Evan arrived, Gaylord’s wound care specialists consulted with Evan’s team at The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital to ensure a seamless transition of care for his complex wounds. Wound care specialist Tracy Houle, APRN, CWOCN, ACNS-BC, said that by actively participating in his own care – a lengthy process that included a daily shower to moisturize his skin and a nearly hour-long advanced wound dressing – he was able to “heal and discharge home faster than expected.”

Mom Diana noted that Gaylord’s holistic care extended beyond addressing her son’s needs.

“Gaylord was there for my healing as much as they were there for his,” she said.

She described her experience at MoraLee Cottages, an on-campus family housing suite that enabled her to stay only feet away from the hospital, as “restorative.”

“I have never been happier with a decision in my life. I can see his window from my room. I can knock on his window to say good morning. The campus is beautiful and safe, we can walk outside and take in the beautiful greenery, which is a miracle when you’ve been in the hospital for so long.”

Diana said that many of Evan’s Bridgeport Hospital nurses have visited him at Gaylord Hospital throughout his stay, astonished at his progress.

“They look at him and say, ‘Evan, God must have a very important purpose for you.’ And we believe it. Now, it’s up to what we do with this time that we’ve been granted. What can you do that’s greater than leaving a path for others to follow or making a difference for others to benefit from?”

After one month at Gaylord – and a total of 130 days away from home – Evan was discharged home, ready for the next phase of his recovery journey.

It’s a “miracle” that his mom attributes to her son’s “extraordinary” medical care at Bridgeport and Gaylord Hospitals and the outpouring of community support.”

“None of us can predict what will happen in life,” she reflected.

“Sometimes the worst things you can think of do happen, but if you are open to the process and allow the best of everyone to show up and help, you will come out in a far better place than you can ever imagine.”